1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a stylus, and, more particularly, to a stylus usable in graphic arts for correcting imperfections in emulsion on a film by removing a portion of the emulsion.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For retouching photographic negatives and positives, in which an imperfection is found on the emulsion layer, a needle is generally used to remove the imperfection. The needle is used as a digging instrument to remove the unwanted emulsion from the film. After removing the blemished emulsion there may be a gap in the emulsion which must be smoothed over or filled in in order to prevent an imperfection from resulting in the finished picture. The needle is again used to smooth over or fill in the gap. Such needles are typically rather pointed, since the size of the imperfections may be rather small.
In some cases, as when an imperfection is relatively large, a sharp knife blade may be used to remove the imperfection in the emulsion. The use of the knife blade obviously has its limitations, particularly with respect to the dexterity of the user and the size of the imperfection. It is understood that the emulsion adjacent the imperfection is preferably not disturbed in any way, or, if it is disturbed, only by a minimal amount which may be smoothed over or filled in.
In removing the imperfections, it will be noted that only the emulsion layer should be removed, and not the film layer which comprises the substrate for the emulsion. The size of the imperfection may vary from very, very small to rather large. Under most circumstances, it is necessary to use a magnifying glass to observe the imperfections and to remove the imperfections. Obviously, for small imperfections, a very fine point or sharp pointed needle may be used, while a larger instrument may be used for the larger imperfection.
For printing purposes, a picture is composed of a series of dots, ranging from very small dots which are difficult to see individually with only the naked eye, up to relatively large dots which may be easily seen with the naked eye. The smallest or finest dot is produced by a three hundred line screen, and accordingly a relatively sharp pointed needle is necessary to use on a single dot made by such a three hundred line screen. For larger dots, a relatively larger instrument may be used. However, the size of the instrument used to remove the imperfections or dots should still be small enough to avoid disturbing the emulsion adjacent the imperfections. And, as stated above, only the emulsion should be removed and not the film substrate.
With the use of a needle or pin, an imperfection is eliminated by removing the emulsion which contains the imperfection. The hole in the emulsion which remains on the film substrate after the removal of the imperfection is then filled and smoother in place to remove all trace of the imperfection.
The implements or tools described above, which are in contemporary usage, are strictly manually operated tools which depend on the dexterity of the fingers of the user for control in both the removal of the undesired emulsion and the smoothing of the hole or void after the removal. The removal of the emulsion accordingly may be a relatively tedious task, and a lack of care or attention at all times on the part of the operator or individual using the implement may result in substantial damage to both the emulsion and the film substrate.
The apparatus of the present invention overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art by providing a dual instrument, one end of which includes a powered, rotating stylus for removing the blemished emulsion and the other end of which includes a pointed needle or stylus, fixed in place but removable.